Earthsky Blogs
eBay does the right thing, bans ivory sales
They tracked over 7,000 ivory sales online over from May to June 2008 and found 83 percent were done through eBay.
October 22, 2008 - Biodiversity
Over 20,000 elephants are killed by poachers each year, and ivory harvest is behind 73 percent of the slaughter, according to the IFAW. They tracked over 7,000 ivory sales online over from May to June 2008 and found 83 percent were done through eBay.
A significant amount of elephant ivory, according to the IFAW, shipped internationally, contrary to international protections established by the U.N.-backed Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna. Looking at the bigger picture, the report found that 70 percent of all “endangered species products” listed for sale on the Internet occur in the United States.
eBay’s decision to ban ivory sales could help stem the tide of extinction facing elephants and other creatures crucial to Earth’s biodiversity and ecosystem health.
Written by Jorge Salazar
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jorgesalazar
About the Author
Jorge Salazar
Jorge Salazar has interviewed over a thousand of the world's leading scientists, in his role as senior producer for EarthSky. He is one of the people responsible for the wealth of new EarthSky science interviews heard on a variety of media platforms every day. He has explored subjects as diverse as nanotechnology, ecosystem-based management, climate change, international environmental treaties, astrophysics and cosmology, and environmental security. His penetrating research style, poetic writing, and ability to track down and speak with Nobel prize-winning laureates, all make him a huge asset to EarthSky. >>
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